How long does the guinea pig live with due care?

Guinea Pig is an indiscriminate, sweet animal. It is larger than some other rodents, such as hamsters or mice. And still these little animals are quiet, they can sit for a long time in one place, so they are comfortable to hold on their hands. In the care and nutrition of guinea pigs will not bring much trouble. Over the long years of keeping at home, a large number of different species have been hatched, which differ both in length of hair and in color. Therefore, you can find an animal that everyone will like. But, of course, the owners always have some questions. For example, how long does a guinea pig live?

Guinea pigs

In fact, this animal is called Cavia (Cavia porcellus). They were dubbed by the pigs because of the peculiar sounds reminiscent of the grunting that they make. And the name "sea" is a reminder that these animals got to us from behind the sea. More precisely - from a distant America. There till now among the bushes and grasses in the valleys of mountains, marshy lowlands, plateaus live wild relatives of domestic guinea pigs. These animals live in small flocks, including from 10 to 20 individuals. Their food consists of plants, or rather - those parts of them to which the animal can reach. How long a guinea pig lives in nature depends on its lightness and ability to hide. Therefore, they need shelters. Some of them dig mink, others hide in natural shelters, for example, in crevices of rocks. All this should be taken into account by those who decided to have such a pet at home, as the domestic guinea pigs appeared as a result of hybridization of wild species.

Care

In order for the guinea pig at home to be convenient, you will need a cage of such size that the inside can be freely moved. Best of all, if in a cage there will be a high pallet with a loose litter, in which the mumps will dig. Need, of course, a cozy house (best of all - wooden), a feeder and a drinking bowl. Do not forget that these animals are vegetarians. How much the guinea pig lives depends on its diet. Animal feed is not needed, even dairy products. But you need hay, fresh grass, juicy vegetables, for example lettuce, cabbage, carrots. You should not offer them citrus, because they contain too much vitamin C, which these animals are not used to. They also need a variety of vitamin and mineral supplements. It is best to use store feeds, in which these components already come in the right proportions. But even fresh leaves and grass should not be neglected! How long does the guinea pig live? Usually from 5 to 8 years. But there are cases when the age of these animals reached 15 years. So with good care this little creature can become a real long-liver.

Breeds

Due to its livable nature, sociability and simplicity of content, guinea pigs are very popular as pets. People like to talk with them and play with them. They do not just run and play, like hamsters for example, but can respond to the owner's words with a loud merry sound. Therefore, over the long years of keeping these animals at home, many different breeds have been identified. This - Abyssinian, merino, rex, skinny, rosette. Among them there are both very common and exclusive. Skinny is a special breed of guinea pigs , whose representatives are practically devoid of wool. In fact, they are not completely naked, on the legs and head there is residual hair. For rosette (or rosetti), on the contrary, rosettes are characteristic of wool, which are located throughout the body of the animal. Often owners are interested in how many guinea pigs of skinnels or other breeds live. They are worried that artificially bred specimens can not last long. In fact, the life expectancy of different guinea pigs does not depend on the breed, but is determined in many respects by living conditions.

How many live guinea pigs (rosette, angora, royal), depends on their hosts. You need to communicate with your pets, feed them properly, regularly walk around so that they can run a lot. And then the guinea pig will live for many years.